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Among the elementary human stories, parenthood has tended to go without saying. Compared to the spectacular attachments of romantic love, it is only the predictable sequel. Compared to the passions of childhood, it is just a background. But in recent decades, far-reaching changes in typical family forms and in procreative possibilities (through reproductive technologies) have brought out new questions. Why do people want (or not want) to be parents? How has the 'choice' first enabled by contraception changed the meaning of parenthood? Looking not only at new parental parts but at older parental stories, in novels and other works, this fascinating book offers fresh angles and arguments for thinking about parenthood today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book will undoubtably be worth reading both by those who wish to explore the controversial issues arising from new reproductive technologies, and by those whose interests are literary and who would appreciate the detailed examination of classic texts. * Alison Carter, Solas * [Rachel Bowlby] finds some intriguing antecedents to our world of surrogacy, fertility treatment and adoption (and, brilliantly, in the case of Mary, mother of Jesus, to artificial insemination) in plot twists that are, in essence, novelists' decisions to rupture reality so as better to make it serve their specific emotional, psychological and artistic needs. * Rachel Cusk, New Statesman * Here Bowlby's widely celebrated talent as a literary critic is demonstrated to quite spectacular effect. Literary critics - academics in general - are permanently aware of the pressure to make their work "relevant", and in less skilled hands the parts of this book concerned with contemporary culture might have appeared worlds away from Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. This book, however, is an instance of genuine dialogue between the contemporary and the historical ... an extraordinary level of insight. * Bryony Randall, Times Higher Education * ...fluid and engaging... * Terri Apter, Times Literary Supplement * Bowlby's project is a worthy endeavour * Natalie McKnight, Dickensian Quarterly *

About the Author

Rachel Bowlby is Northcliffe Professor of English at University College London. Her previous books include Just Looking and Carried Away, both about the history of shopping; Still Crazy After All These Years: Women, Writing and Psychoanalysis; Shopping with Freud; Feminist Destinations and FurtherEssays on Virginia Woolf; and Freudian Mythologies: Greek Tragedy and Modern Identities.